This invention relates generally to arc welders and more particularly to a welding gun-mounted control means for use in adjusting welding criteria at the welding site.
In arc welding, it is known to utilize welding material in wire form as the consumable electrode. The wire, provided conveniently wound on a spool, is selectively unwound as required. In applicants' copending application filed Jan. 29, 1983, under Ser. No. 460,711, there is disclosed a wire feed mechanism of the type especially adapted to controllably advance consumable electrode wire to work station. The feed mechanism is driven by an electric motor, the rotational speed of which may be controlled so as to regulate the rate at which wire is unwound from the spooltand, hence, the rate at which the wire is feed to the work station.
It is also known to control the weld voltage by adjusting the voltage output of the welding power supply. Welding power variations are needed to accommodate different types of welding (i.e., spot or stitch), different types of material to be welded (i.e., steel or aluminum), and thickness variations in the parts to be welded.
It is common to use an arrangement whereby the consumable wire electrode is supplied to the work area through a welding gun via a flexible conduit. This permits the welding operation to be performed at a location remote from the welder power supply control unit. However, the operator must return to the conrol unit when it becomes necessary to adjust power settings and wire feed rate.